


She is Loved

by iamladyloki



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Charming Family Feels, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:38:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamladyloki/pseuds/iamladyloki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Dark One curse is lifted, Emma sleeps for days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She is Loved

**Author's Note:**

> For Adri.

When the Dark One curse is lifted, Emma sleeps for days.

Everyone is a bit panicked, but Killian manages to remain calm. _She’ll be okay,_ he reminded everyone after the first 16 hours of her being unconscious, _She did not sleep while she was the Dark One._

She is fast asleep in the loft of her parents’ apartment; the moment that Emma told Killian that she needed to sleep, she made it clear that she did not want to return to the house she lived in while she was the Dark One. So Killian, David, and Mary Margaret brought Emma back to her bed, Killian being the only one who followed her up the steps. _Are you sure you’re okay, love?_ Killian asked in concern. Emma replied, _Yes. I just need to-_ And that had been it. She passed out on the pillow, fully clothed and on top of the covers.

Now she lay buried beneath the blankets, changed into pajamas with the help of Mary Margaret. All Killian can see is a tangle of blonde hair. He leans over and kisses her head, whispering, “I love you, Emma. Thank you for not leaving me.”

It isn’t until day three that Emma gets out of bed for an extended period of time. Killian is asleep in the chair beside her when she wakes, and Emma can’t help but smile at him. “Killian,” she says, slightly hoarse. She notices a glass of water – she vaguely remembers waking up briefly to take a drink a couple of times – and realizes how thirsty she is. She sits up and gulps the whole thing down before she clears her throat and repeats, louder this time, “Killian.” 

His eyes blink open and he looks around, slightly confused. He looks up to find Emma smiling gently at him from where she sits on her bed. He jolts out of his chair and moves to sit beside Emma. “Emma, love, you’re awake!” He says, relief in his tone. “Are you up for good now?” He now has concern in his voice.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asks, wiping remnants of sleep from her eyes.

“About three days,” he informs her, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. Her eyes widen.

“That long?” she says, startled. She takes in her surroundings and then asks, “What time is it now?” The lights are mostly out in the apartment, there is no light shining through the windows, and the only other sound she can hear is one of her mother’s clocks ticking away down the stairs.

Killian glances at his phone and says, “It is almost 4:30am.”

Emma feels very disoriented. It is not even 4:30, but it feels like she woke up in the late afternoon.  Her stomach growls suddenly, bringing her attention back to her current needs.

“It appears that it is time for me to get you some food,” Killian says with a smile. The relief on his face is overwhelming, and it makes a tear slip from Emma’s eye. His eyes widen in alarm and he quickly moves to wipe away the tear. “Emma, what’s wrong?”

She shakes her head. She can’t begin to put her emotions into words, so she simply says, “I love you.”

His eyes soften; he knows that there is more to it, but he also knows that it must be very difficult for her to sort through her emotions after this ordeal. “And I, you,” he replies, placing a kiss on her cheek.

The rumbling of her stomach reminds them that she has had next to nothing to eat the past three days. She says softly with a laugh, “Okay, I think I need to eat.” 

* * *

Two grilled cheeses, a bag of chips, and a mug of hot cocoa later, Emma’s stomach is satisfied. The couch is vacated; Killian tells her that Henry slept there two of the nights but is now at Regina’s house, so they settle there and turn the TV on, muting the volume.

“Are you okay?” Emma asks Killian in a hushed voice. It feels like her soul is aching. Every moment as the Dark One – every choice she made and every word she said – is still vivid in her mind. The way she treated her loved ones made her want to run and hide, but not before owning up to her terrible decisions and apologizing.

Killian’s eyes soften and he brushes a tangled tress of hair from Emma’s face. “I am brilliant because _you_ are here.” She catches the emphasis on ‘you’.

“I’m sorry,” she says, and tears prick in her eyes. “I’m so, so sorry,” Emma says, her voice breaking. Her face crumples and Killian takes her into his arms.

“Oh, Emma,” he sighs into her hair. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Killian’s right,” a voice says from behind them. Emma and Killian look up to find Mary Margaret and David standing behind the couch. Her mother continues before Emma can interrupt, “You were the Savior when you took the Darkness away from Regina and saved the town. You fought hard to keep the Darkness at bay, but it is something so powerful that even a Savior can’t defeat it, at least not alone.”

Her father adds, “It was the Darkness talking and taking action, Emma. It held sway over your choices. You fought it, but it won. We don’t condemn you for that.”

Emma shakes her head, protesting, “But all of the people I’ve hurt...everyone I care for...”

“Have already forgiven you, or at least an understanding,” Mary Margaret says. “We forgave you a long time ago, sweetheart.” 

“Aye, and I as well,” Killian adds, pulling her closer to him. Her mother and father move closer to her when more tears slip from her eyes, relief, grief, and sorrow choking Emma and preventing any words from coming out. It is here, surrounded by her family, that a realization comes to Emma.

It does not matter to her loved ones what she did as the Dark One, and it will not matter what choices she makes going forward. It does not matter because _she is loved._

It is this knowledge that will carry her forward, always and forever keeping her in the light.

She is loved.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are so inclined, you can find me on tumblr as korrasamie.


End file.
